Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I was a teacher before I was elected to the Dáil and I often felt that I was the only male role model in many children's lives and, hopefully, I was a decent one. There were one or two male staff in the school but the rest were women, some of whom were absolutely superb. The boys, in particular, were hugely lacking in any sort of male role model.